spontaneous synonyms

spontaneous

modif.

involuntary, instinctive, unbidden, unplanned, impromptu, ad-lib*, casual*, unintentional*, impulsive*, offhand*, automatic*, unforced, natural*, inevitable*, irresistible*, unavoidable*, resistless*, unwilling*, unconscious*, uncontrollable. *

Antonyms deliberate*, willful*, intended.

spontaneous applies to that which is done so naturally that it seems to come without prompting or premeditation a spontaneous demonstration; impulsive applies to that which is prompted by some external incitement or sudden inner inclination rather than by conscious rational volition an impulsive retort; instinctive suggests an immediate, unwilled response to a stimulus, as if prompted by some natural, inborn tendency he took an instinctive liking to her; involuntary refers to that which is done without thought or volition, as a reflex action an involuntary scowl, an involuntary flicker of the eyelid; automatic suggests an unvarying, machinelike reaction to a given stimulus or situation an automatic response

Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.